Sanitary napkins have not yet been notified under the Essential Commodities Act, Advocate General P.S. Raman said.
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Sanitary napkins have not been declared an essential commodity. Yet, the Tamil Nadu government had sanctioned ₹113.10 crore in the financial year 2024-25 towards implementation of menstrual hygiene programme in both rural and urban areas, Advocate General P.S. Raman told the Madras High Court on Wednesday.
Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan who were seized of a public interest litigation petition insisting upon supply of sanitary napkins through ration shops, the A-G said, the napkins had not yet been notified under the Essential Commodities Act.
Mr. Raman said, certain schemes were already in operation in the State for providing sanitary napkins, either free of cost or at subsidised rates, to select classes of women including adolescent girls. He also stated that the government had been allocating considerable amount of money in every budget.
After recording his submissions, the judges called for additional information from the State government in order to find out if the benefit of the scheme could be extended to a larger class of women in the State. They requested the A-G to ensure that the information was submitted by January 27, 2026.
The Bench wanted to know the percentage of women population living below the poverty line (BPL) category in the State and the percentage who were above BPL category but fall under the class of economically weaker sections of society. “On the basis of information, this court will make an attempt to bridge the gap by issuing further directions,” it said.
The court also wanted to know what would be the additional financial burden if these categories of women too were included in the ongoing menstrual hygiene programme of the State.
Published – December 17, 2025 11:36 pm IST
